08: Re-Landlubberization
A Tale of Two Tiguans

A Tale of Two Tiguans

It all started with a test drive.

During which we ran out of gas.

While I steered us toward the gas station, Stéphane and our car salesman, Jay, pushed me down the car-infested mega street. Jay was shocked and so apologetic; we thought it made for a good story.

So the car? A VW Tiguan. Room for Myra in the back-back, all-wheel drive to get me to the trailheads, and super fun to drive. Can we get it? Why, yes! It’s in the budget. Let’s do this.

In addition to it being practical, this Tig has a few fancy features that we weren’t looking for but were pretty excited about once we realized we could afford them: leather seats, power everything, and a panoramic sunroof (think sunroof times 100 – the thing extends almost the length of the roof of the car!).

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Panoramic sunroof – yeah!

 

We purchase our “new” 2009 all-wheel drive Tiguan (in silver) on a Monday.

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Showing off The Tig.

 

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Me in The Tig. All smiles (before things go bad).

 

On Wednesday, the driver-side door refuses to open from the outside. After a stop at the dealership, we are promised a new Lock Box (electrical issue) which will be installed, on dealer’s dime, the very next day.

Wedneday night, it rains.

Slipping into the driver’s seat (after Stéphane opens the door from the inside) on Thursday morning, I am greeted with rivulets of water streaming down the sides of both front doors. Not dripping; streaming.

“Did we leave the sunroof open?!?!”

“Nope.”

“Shoot…something’s really wrong with this car…”

Looking up to check the ceiling I had cleaned with Rosenthal’s the day before (a few smudges here and there. Rosenthal’s, by the way, is a fabulous cleaning product. And it’s made in Detroit!), I see water stains all around; it is wet to the touch: the water has seeped throughout the ceiling.

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Time out for a product plug. Rosenthal’s famous carpet and upholstery cleaner. In gallon, half-gallon and quart sizes! Made in Detroit! Works wonders!

 

Braking at the end of the street, the sickening sound of rushing water filled the car. We turn around to see water spilling out from under the backseats. Seriously? We’ve sailed Free Range in some major water the last nine months and have managed to keep her leak-free but here, on dry land, our car is flooding with water. The irony is not lost.

Needless to say, we drove straight to the dealership, explained the issues, and asked for our money back. They did us a solid and complied (thank you, Suburban Toyota of Troy. Good people here- honest, genuine, and fair).

 

Mom and dad pick us up and we find ourselves, once again, car-less.

 

After much internet perusal, we find a Tiguan sans sunroof (and leather and power) –  but three years newer – in Sandusky, Ohio. It’s a two-hour drive (all-wheel drive Tiguans are hard to come by in the Midwest) but WORTH THE TRIP:

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Kasper Toyota: Definitely Worth The Trip. We got to put a little pin in the map for Montrose, CO.
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My “new” 2012 all-wheel drive VW Tiguan (in midnight blue). Leak-free!

 

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